Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Edmund Rice Camps SA is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, and a number of 20th anniversary events are taking place over the next few months. Keeping with our focus on children and families, we are holding a free family Fun Day in Bonython Park on Sunday, 26th September. It will be a chance for our past and present volunteers and children to come down with their families and have a fun day out on us! Over the last two decades, thousands of people have been touched by ERC, and we’d love to see them all. The focus of the day is not on fundraising, so all of the activities and rides will be either free or low cost.
A very distinct focus on fundraising is behind our 20th Anniversary Ball, being held at Adelaide Oval on Friday, 22 October. The evening is being hosted by Andrew “Cosi” Costello from SA-FM and Lisa McAskill from Channel 9 Adelaide, and promises to be a fantastic night. Further details and tickets are available on the ERC SA website at eddiericecamps.org.au.
Keep an eye out for a Thanksgiving Mass and a Supporters’ Dinner, both scheduled for October. The Supporters’ Dinner is more moderately priced than the Ball, to help keep our anniversary celebrations accessible to everyone.
Of course, there are other fundraising events still bubbling away in the background, including a Quiz Night in November. Additionally, this is ERC’s second year as a Channel 9 telethon charity, and tickets are now on sale for the annual House & Land lottery. Details of all events are on our website.
In all of the above, it’s important not to forget camps! We have six camps still to run in 2010, and our four traditional week long cams coming up in January. Volunteers are always welcome. We are also very excited that we have obtained a grant to run a camp for the young people of the FAME program. FAME is an alternative schooling program run by the Oceania Province of the Brothers in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, and it is great to be able to work with another Edmund Rice ministry working at the margins.
As you can see, there’s a lot going on! Certainly a long way from a single camp a year in 1990, and who knows what the future holds!
Submitted by Peter Caporaso [ERC(SA) Board Chair and Wisdom Group Member] October 2010
